Skinny Love
by ella chase
Summary: "Oh, Skinny Love," he whispered. I could hear his voice echo in the back of my head. "Come on, Skinny Love, what happened here?" It was a different voice this time. I recognised them both like the back of my hand. Their words grew louder and louder. "Who will love you?" He said. "Who will fight?" I'm breaking at the bridges; the end of all my lies...
1. Chapter 1

New York was crumbing down.

No one had the slightest idea what was happening around them. Buildings toppling and dust rising was all they saw. Some people ran, some stood frozen in fear. Others took shelter in what they could find. The fortunate ones were able to protect themselves. The rest were stuck on a string of faith that was sure to break any minute.

The brick alley deserted by many was cluttered with population. Everyone seemed to take haven in what was formerly known as one of New York's most dangerous lee-ways. Oh, the irony. The screams of the scared, injured, and dying were over-whelming. The ones grasping on to their dear life helplessly could only imagine by how much their fear would be multiplied if they were in those poor soul's shoes. One could only imagine.

Our protection of a brick alley began to wobble and shake, the earth crumbling beneath us. Once packed as sardines, people were running out of that backstreet with dear life. With so many people in one place, it was the ones in the back who would suffer this time. The smoke rose higher and higher, clouding my weak, asthmatic lungs. Every cough knocked harder and harder on my chest, draining a little more strength than before. "Help!" I attempted to yell, overshadowed by the dust. "Someone, help me!" My voice was hoarse, choking in between coughs. Of course, no one would notice. Not just because of the greed to save themselves, but because by this point I was lost in the rubble of a toppled alley in the heart of New York City.

~*~*~

"I'm going to eyeball the rubble of this here alley," a voice called. "It's better to be safe than sorry." He spoke again. My subconscious could hear him, unable to physically react. In my head I was pulling myself out of the mounds towards this long looked for stranger, but in reality I just lay in a pile of broken building. "Oh hell," He said. I felt a sudden weight lifted off of me; a relief of pain. My immediate reaction was to gasp for air. Lord only knows how long my feeble chest had been compressed for; suffocating for air. I coughed and wheezed, choking up on the sudden gain of oxygen. My body felt frail, unable to even keep myself concious enough to open my eyes. I slowly drifted back again, attempting to regulate my breathing, which was nothing but mere choking and wheezing. "Don't worry," the voice spoke. "We'll get you help." At that moment I was lifted from the rubbish to what felt to be a pair of arms. A strong pair of arms. My eye lids fluttered as the image of a man in a bright morph suit was outlined. I couldn't identify his face, though. Nothing but the colour that camouflaged a majority of his face, and I'm sure the rest of his body. As I whooped and coughed, I simply lay myself in his arms, allowing him to take me where he may.

"I found her in the alley," the voice said. "She's a fairly young baby." I heard people rush over; different voices, different dialects. It was so much to absorb at once. It didn't help that I had no clue what was going on, either. "Should we take her back to S.H.I.E.L.D.? Perhaps we could have a medic cast an eyeball on her?" A different voice piped in. "Give her to me, I'll take her." Immediately I was shifted to a different pair of arms. The first ones were warm and strong. These were rough and cold. Almost as if laying on a metal table. My skin cringed at the faintest touch of the cold sensation. My eyelids quivered, delineating not what seemed to be a man, but a robot of some sort. A red and gold android. I shuttered with the bits of energy I had left in me, which was nothing but a twitch. "Hey, she moved. Looks like we've got a live one," he said. "Taking her back to Stark Towers. I'll fix her up and-" He seemed to be cut off by another voice. This time, it was a feminine tone. "Tony, are you sure?" Tony was the man's name, apparently. Who was this 'Tony'? "Yes, I'm sure. Sheesh." Who was the other man, though? The one who carried me out of the alley? I would love to shower him in hugs and kisses for finding me. And this 'Tony' man, for offering to care for me. Who were these blessed strangers?

Was I fortunately bestowed with a miracle of some sort? To be found? Or did I maybe die in the rubble, and this is my awakening in heaven?

~*~*~

"Well, looks who's up," Said the man. His voice sounded vaguely familiar. I knew I recognised it from somewhere, I just couldn't put my finger on it. I sat up weakly, attempting to familiarise myself with my surroundings. Everything was a blur; nothing made any sense. "Uh-uh-uh," the man spoke again. "You need to rest." He gently pushed me back. I seemed to be laying on some sort of couch. I let out a hefty cough, my chest heaving for air. I felt my face growing red as I gasped for air. The man immediately bent to his knees, giving me a gentle pat on the back. He rubbed his hand in soothing circles, encouraging me to cough again. "You have to get all that dust out of your lungs," he said. I gasped for air, my breath shaken and weak. I lay back, looking over at him without saying a word. "You're going to be fine," he said. My eyes traced the outline of his face. Round, light brown eyes and a dark, perfectly shaven goatee were what first caught my eye. He was a very attractive man, I must admit.

"You've been out for a while," he said. A small, intimate smile unravelled from his lips, causing the same reflex within myself. His face was starting to flush, and he quickly turned around and walked off. "Do you want anything? Water? Scotch?" I blinked a few times at the last offer. My eyebrows scrunched together as my vision slowly began to clear up from a blur to identifiable images. Or, in this case, blotches. "What? Don't do it hard?" He seemed to be standing at what looked like a bar, while pouring himself a drink. I think. I took a heavy sigh, my throat raspy and dry. Before I knew it, he was walking over to me again, holding out a clear glass. Oh silly me, it must have been filled with water. "Here, I'm sure your throat's on fire." My feeble hand reached for the glass, shaking and trembling. Without hesitation I drank it down to the last drop. He must of thought I've never had a drink in my life. "Woah there, Thirsty," he chuckled. I slowly handed the glass back, mouthing a "thank you", but no sound escaped my lips.

I immediately started to wheeze again, and I was having a difficult time trying to regain oxygen on my own. I was choked on my own breath, and the more I coughed, the worse it became. Quickly, I patted myself down, smacking both my front and back jean pockets. Where was it? Where the hell was it?! My face began to flush and burn, as I started to curl forward. The coughing was burning and scratching my throat, making it feel like a desert in my larynx.

The man immediately saw me, dropping the cup on the bar and running over to where I was. "Oh shoot," he quickly blurted. His expression spoke a thousand thoughts. He kept contemplating whether to call for help or not. My hands continued to search, rubbing along the couch. His eyes were attracted to my movement, tracing my hands. "What happened?!" He said, his hands mimicking mine. I immediately stopped, exhaling a strongly as my minimal strength would allow._ Exhale, inhale. Exhale, inhale. _About 4 of those repeated and I was able to calm myself somewhat. Or at stabilise my breathing.

"What the hell just happened?!" He said, scared out of his wits.

"I had... an asthma... attack," I heaved between breaths.

"You're asthmatic?"

I quickly nodded. "Since... I was... seven."

"So that's why you were... oh." He was talking about my frantic pat down and strip search of his couch.

"My... rescue inhaler. I... couldn't find it."

His eyes were filled with sympathy, darting from my pockets to around the couch.

"I... I know I had it... with me. I just... don't... know what... happened to it."

He let out a soft sigh and stood up, leading himself back over to his bar.

I watched him walk off in total silence, going to pour himself a drink in what seemed to be a liquor glass. "Who are you?" My question seemed to break the silence. He looked up, cocking an eyebrow. "You know, I could ask the same about yourself," he toasted his cup. I twirled my ring around my finger, gazing down at my hands to avoid all possible eye contact.

"The name's Tony," he said confidently. "Tony Stark."

My head immediately rose. "_Stark? _As in 'Stark Industries'?" My hands froze.

"The one and only, babe," He winked, taking a sip of his beverage.

"Wait... so you mean to tell me... I'm in Stark Tower right now?" I looked around, finally noticing all the fine interior decoration and open layout of having walls for windows.

"Welcome to my humble abode," he walked towards the couch, arms wide open. "Wow..." I said, my eyes glimpsing every nook and cranny. "I can't believe I'm here." He chuckled a bit. "I'm flattered, I really am. Please, take a look around; don't be ashamed. Just don't touch anything."

I smirked and slowly stood up, taking in everything with finer detail to the eye. It was beautiful. Professionally decorated, I might assume. Tony walked over to a pair of automatic sliding doors, stepping into what seemed to be an elevator. I wasn't really paying attention, I was too wrapped up in the lovely decorated fireplace. "Don't touch anything," He called. "I won't," I smiled, turning to face him. There were a few framed pictures resting above the fireplace mantel. Some were of him with some buddies, I assumed, and others with some beautiful women. It was obvious he was a player, but when you're a multi-billionaire, who wouldn't be?

A little golden frame glistened in the sunlight that shone through the wall-window, catching my short attention-span. I slowly pulled it out from behind; I wonder why it was hidden? There was a man standing in the picture, but it wasn't Tony. It was the mayor. He was standing next to what seemed to be a robot of some-sort?

A robot. A red robot.

A red and gold robot.

I immediately remembered earlier today, being carried away by some man in a suit of armour. A red suit of armour. The man, the voice. I clutched the picture, running my fingertips over the silhouette of the metal being. Why would Tony have a picture of this guy on his mantle? Unless...

"Break anything while I was gone?" Tony laughed, stepping out of the elevator. I jumped at the sound of his voice. What a way to startle me there. And make me look less suspicious. "N-no, no..." I stuttered nervously. He walked over to me, noticing the picture in my hand. "Whatcha got there?" He asked, revealing a sneaky smile. "Oh, i-it's nothing, really... Just this picture from your mantle." He gently took the picture from my hand, glancing over it with a smile. "Who is he?" I asked, switching my eyes from his hands to his face. "Who? Michael Bloomberg? You know, for someone who lives in New York, I'd figure you'd at _least_ know who the mayor is." He let out a soft laugh as I shook my head. "No, not him, obviously. The uh... man- _thing_ standing next to him..." Tony looked down at the picture again and chortled.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well...?" I said as he put the picture back on the mantle. "Oh, you know him." Okay, now he's just talking crap. "Um, well if you'd be so kind and remind me when I met this so-called 'man'," I put air-quotes around the last word. "Or... robot- thing... Whatever he... or it is." Tony scoffed. "Okay, first of all, he's not a robot." I rolled my eyes. "Okay, well, whatever he is, I've never seen that thing- I mean him in my entire life. Not that that's something you see everyday." Tony walked off to the couch and I trailed behind.

"Anyway, speaking of explaining things, would you care to tell me how I even ended up in the penthouse of the richest man in New York?"

He laughed, kicking his feet up. "I don't know, maybe it was 'Robot Thing'."

"Seriously? Tony, I'm being serious."

"As am I," he chortled, his lips curving into a sneaky smile.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to his bar, amazed at how many different wine and shot glasses he had in display. "Jesus," I whispered, losing count of how many glasses there were. And that was probably only what he had out to show. "I don't think you have enough drinking cups." He laughed at my sarcasm. "I like to collect fine drinking china, what can I say?" I ran my hand over the black granite counter, noticing how nice of a bar it really was. Nice light red alder wood topped with black granite. Were those interior spotlights, too? Wow, he had the whole kit and caboodle. "Serve yourself," Tony chimed as he walked back towards the elevator. "Oh, well, um, thanks. Wh-where are you going?" I stuttered, watching him leave. "Lab," He quickly called right as the elevator doors closed.

Lab? He's got a lab here too? How freaking big is this place? Then again, it's Stark Towers. Rumour has it this place is a wonderland. Putting my curious mind-set aside, I started wondering about how I was going to get back home. I don't even remember where my car was. Ever since the city turned to turmoil, New York was flipped inside out. I even just realised I didn't have a cellphone on me. Oh what luck. I'm stuck in Stark Towers with no cellphone and no idea on how I'm going to get home. Lovely, just lovely.

Tony must have been gone for at least 20 minutes before he finally popped back in. "Sorry about that," he said, rubbing his hands. "No worries," I said. "Anyway, I was just wondering... Is there anyway you can maybe... uh... take me home? I mean, not if I'm imposing or anything..." Tony stopped, twirling around to face me. "I hope you don't mean tonight." I looked outside, wondering if his objection was towards the time. It had only just begun to grow dark. "Well..." Tony slowly paced over to me. "I can't let you go home tonight. You were barely even able to breathe a few hours ago. I'd at least like to keep you here tonight. You know, keep an eye on ya, make sure everything's all right." He slowly peeled something off of my forehead, which I assumed was a bandaid. "Is that a bandage?" I said, crossing my eyes in an attempt to look at my forehead. "Mmhmm," he said, sticking it back down. "You hit yourself pretty hard. I don't think it'll leave a mark, though." Wait, I hit myself? "Do I have any more bandages I should know about?" He paused for a few seconds. You've got one on your shoulder... Left, I believe." I pulled my shirt down, and much to my surprise, he was right. "Oh," I whispered. "Anyway," He broke the few seconds of silence amongst us. "I'd at least like to keep an eye on you for tonight. Just to be sure, you know, just in case something were to happen. But don't worry- I have a guest bedroom. I've got you covered." My cheeks flushed at his offer. "Oh, thank you," I smirked, glancing over to the hallway which led to the living quarters. So I'm spending the night at Stark Towers. That's not something that happens often.

* * *

"Towel... soap..." He pointed to everything as he spoke. "Shower- just turn the lever; left for hot, right for cold, and pull it up to turn it off. Simple as that." My eyes glanced about the bathroom, which seemed to be dawned with beautiful cream-coloured marble walls and floors. The shower was grand, closed off by walls of glass. It could easily be the size of a child's bedroom. "All right, I think I'm good," I sighed, looking over to Tony. "Shout if you need anything," He hollered, closing the door behind him as he left.

I stipped myself down to bare skin, tossing my clothes into a small pile in front of the skin. I walked over to the glass enclosure of a shower and set the water to hot, letting the clouding steam cloud my nose and throat. It was so relaxing. The water came down as a soft pitter-patter on my skin, slowly warming it to goosebumps. I lathered myself in soap, washing away all my troubles. For a few minutes I had forgotten about everything I could remember that happened earlier that day. I felt so at peace. That was until Tony walked in.

"Aaah!" I screamed. "What the hell are you doing?!" He scared the crap out of me!

Tony stood in behind the glass of the shower, laughing himself a good time. "I just came to drop this off for you," He placed a pile of folded clothes on top of the counter. "Didn't you hear me knock?"

"Apparently not!"

He smiled, glancing about the bathroom. "Ooo," he smirked, bending down the floor, picking up my pink panties. "You plan on wearing these, right?" He held up the article of lingerie and waved it around playfully.

"Put that back, Tony!" I growled, giving him a death glare.

"Rawr, fiesty," He winked, tossing them back into the pile.

I rolled my eyes as he left the bathroom, thanking the Lord Almighty that the shower had filled with steam so he couldn't see anything. Not that he hasn't seen it before. But I was taking a shower in the bathroom of a stranger. And I'm sure I still have some dignity left in me.

The steam rose to a thin cloud as I shut off the hot water. Stepping out of the shower I crept across the floor, being sure not to drip water anywhere. I kept wondering what type of "clothes" Tony left me. I was a little scared, actually. He seemed to be full of surprises. "Ohhh," I laughed in denial. "I am _not_ wearing this." I held the article of clothing in my hand and hid behind the door, poking out my head. "Tony?" I called. He better be near by. "Madame," he replied, strolling over.

"What is_ this_?!" I held my hand out the door.

"A shirt," He smiled.

"Yea, your shirt!"

He chuckled. "Well, I wasn't going to let you wear those dirty clothes again. So, I did the favour of giving you clean clothes."

I rolled my eyes. "Tony, you gave me only a shirt. You didn't even bother to give me trousers!"

A devious smirk unravelled itself. "You've got panties, right?"

"_Tony!_" My jaw dropped to the floor. What the hell was he talking about?!

"Kidding, kidding. But seriously- not objecting over here. I could go get some shorts if it bothers you that bad."

"Oh, whatever."

I sighed, closing the door in his face. I'm already spending the night in the house of man I've only known for a few hours, so how much worse could it get? I slipped on his shirt, buttoning it down. It wasn't all that revealing actually. I mean, it was shorter than a lot of the shorts I owned, but it wasn't _that _bad. I flipped my hair over, giving it a quick towel dry- just enough so it wouldn't wet my shirt. By this point, all the steam in the bathroom had evaporated, and I was finally able to see myself clearly in the mirror. "Eek," the wounds on my face that Tony was speaking of earlier were worse than I thought. My fingers lightly tapped over them as they throbbed and pulsated with pain. He wasn't kidding. I snooped around the cabinets, hoping to find a bandage of some sort. "Jackpot," I smiled, pulling out the small box of assorted band-aids. One by one I peeled off the backing, resting them over my fresh wound. My face cringed at the lightest of touch. There were a total of seven- four on my lower forehead and three on my chin. I looked like I had been massacred or something.

* * *

"Woohoo, look at that!" Tony laughed when I walked into the living room. He shot me a dog-whistle and I shook my head at him. "Oh, come on, don't give me that. You and I both know that you are looking fine as hell right now." I walked over to his bar, whipping out a glass of scotch and pouring myself a tab. "I don't even know how to reply to that," I smirked, taking out a second cup. "You want?" Tony kicked his feet up on the leather ottoman. "No, thanks. And I believe the proper reply to that is, _'Ohhh, Tonyyy'_." His female voice impersonation made me laugh, causing me to almost drop the glass of scotch. "Shut up!" I walked over, curling up on the opposite side of the couch from him.

"So, little miss 'Blonde Beauty Bomb', tell me about yourself."


	3. Chapter 3

I took a sip of my scotch, the burn from the alcohol burning my already raspy throat. "Well... I'm 22, born and raised in Queens. I studied at F.I.T. and got a job working for Henri Bendel as a design assistant here in Manhattan."

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Wow, look at you. I was thinking maybe something more along the lines of your name, though."

Oh, shoot. He's right; I never introduced myself before. How silly of me. "Blair," I shook my head, flipping my hair out of my face. "Blair Evans."

"Hehe," he chuckled. "You've got the name of a babe, Ms. Blair. Never thought I'd be right when I said the name matched the face _annnd _the body." His eyes checked me out from top to bottom.

"Shut up!" I reached over and gave him a shove. "It's bad enough that I'm dressed like this; now I need to hear you talk about it."

"Hey, I'm just enjoying the view! Don't take shame; embrace the sexy!"

I rolled my eyes, setting my glass down on the wooden coffee table. I couldn't handle the burn of the alcohol any more, and Tony seemed to take notice by the way my face would scrunch every time I had to swallow it down. "Too strong?" He smiled, eyeing my glass.

"Yea, me throat's killing me. Wasn't exactly my brightest idea to drink hard liquor, especially after my asthma attack earlier today." I cleared my throat and felt it burn with a passion. Jesus, what an annoyance.

"Yea, didn't think so either. But, since you're not going to finish it-" He reached over and took the cup, gulpling the entire glass down in one sitting. Jesus, he had a tolerance for the stuff.

"What... exactly did happen today? I mean, other than the town going into chaos and New York falling at the bridges?"

"We uh... We had a bit of a bump in with a uh... a rival. But don't worry. He's gone now."

"A rival?" Who the hell would want to terrorize Manhattan?

"Yea, we don't really get along with this guy. He did some stuff to us, we did some stuff to him- stupid crap like that."

"But... Who was it?"

"Just this guy; you don't need to worry about him."

Tony seemed to grow tense with his indirect answers. I thought it was weird how he all of a sudden just bottled himself up and was barely even giving me any answer at all. There was a bit of an awkward silence between us, as I didn't want to push anything out of him. "Well, what happened to me? I mean, how did I end up here?" He stretched his arms over the top of the sofa and kicked his feet up. "Found you in an alley. You were trapped under blocks of fallen building. Couldn't let you stay there by yourself so I picked you up and brought you over here." My eyes widened at his reply. So that's how I ended up here. "Well, that explains a lot," I chuckled nervously. "But, um, thanks for that... I really appreciate it." I looked down at my hands which were fiddeling with the buttons on my shirt. I was flushing so badly I couldn't bare to look at him in the eye.

A few seconds of awkward silence between us and he finally stood up and said, "I'm gonna go back to the lab. Please, make yourself at home." He quickly walked over the the elevator, being hidden by the closing sliding doors. I just sat on the couch, looking out the giant window of a wall and glanced over the city. Even after its constant turmoil it still seemed to shine beautifully at night.

~*~*~

I must have fallen asleep on the couch, because I woke up the next morning in a different room. I hadn't explored this part of the penthouse. It was a beautifully decorated bedroom; modernized, I should add. It followed a beautiful black and white colour scheme with accents of lime green. It looked like something out of an Ikea catalogue. Then again, Tony could afford it; he was a freakin' billionaire. As comfortable as I was in bed, I didn't want to make myself _too _cozy. This wasn't my house. Even though I wish it could be.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Tony boomed from the bar. He had a whole bunch of plates and cups scattered atop the black granite counter. "What are you doing?" I laughed, sneaking in a yawn. "Making breakfast. You want a B and E?" I cocked an eyebrow at him. "A B and E...?" He laughed. "Yea, you know Bacon and Eggs. Or is that not your thing? I've got pancakes, waffles, french toast, coffee- your choosing!" He was spitting out the options so fast I could barely keep up with him. "Uhh," I rubbed my face, running a hand through my light blonde hair. "Coffee's fine." Tony smiled, holding out a plate scattered with bacon and eggs. "You sure? Nothing else?" I shook my head, grabbing the plate from him. "Oh, all right." I sat at a barstool behind the counter, as Tony walked off into a small hallway where the kitchen must be. He came back holding a coffee maker glass, pouring a mug and setting it down in front of me. "Thanks," I muttered, taking a sip. He smiled, walking back into the kitchen and returning with a handful of plates. "You sure are perky in the morning," I said, taking a fork-full of scrambled eggs. Wow, he was a pretty good cook. "I already had my morning coffee. And by that I mean a few cups." I froze, giving him a sarcastic look. "A few?" He laughed. "Okay, okay, 2... or 3." I chuckled, wrapping up my breakfast.

Tony cleaned up the counter and took everything back to the kitchen. "By the way," he called as he walked off. "I got you something." Oh God, what was it? Knowing him and his surprises, Lord only knows what he meant by 'something'. "Um... Where is it?" He came back over, picking up a mug of coffee and taking a sip. "Couch," he cocked his head toward the living room. I walked over and saw a back from 'Abercrombie and Fitch' sitting on the seat. "Really?" I chuckled, peeking into the bag. I reached inside, pulling out a navy blue sundress. A _short _navy blue sundress. "I took a guess on the size," He paced over. I looked back inside to find a pair of light washed jean shorts and a white lace top. Wow, he had good taste; it's almost like he peeked in my closet or something. "Why did you do this?" I laughed, hanging all the clothes over my arm. "Well, I know you wanted to go home today, and I know you didn't have anything to wear, so I felt bad. Did you the favour of treating you to something nice." He reached over, grabbing the shorts. "I would _definitely _reccomend wearing _these _first." He winked, holding out the shorts in front of me. I snatched them and headed to the bathroom. "I know why you're doing this!" I called. He laughed, calling back. "You're welcome!"

"You know, I could get used to this," Tony smiled, his eyes scanning me head to toe. "Well, don't get _too _comfortable, cause it's not going to last long." I picked up my dirty clothes and folded them sloppily, tossing them into the shopping bag. "Awe," he pouted, followed by a chuckle. "Well, anyway, come on, I'll take you back to your place." I followed him over to the elevator, which looked like a box of glass. Actually, it was a box of glass. A fancy one, have at it.

We were at the last floor, stepping out into a small hallway that lead to giant glass doors at the end, which I assumed led to the outside world. I could see the infamous metropolitan streets of Manhattan on the other side. There was a beautiful wine-coloured Acura 2012 parked in the front of the building, catching my attention. "Wow," I chuckled, following Tony. "You like? This thing is my baby. Along with a whole bunch of other things in my lab." This thing was incredible! "Of course! This car is amazing!" He walked over the passenger's side, holding open the door. "Madame," He smiled. "Thank you," I laughed, piling in with my bag in hand. Tony climbed in- and by climbed in I mean he jumped over the door into his seat. He's such a child inside. "All right, co-pilot, tell me where to go." I blushed as Tony revved up the car and sped down Manhattan.

It was only about a 20 minute drive with no traffic. I didn't know where we were, though. Tony seemed to notice my confusion. "What's wrong? Did I take a wrong turn or something?" I looked around, sure that I was in the right place. "Yea, this is it... I just..." Tony looked around, and seemed to have the same feeling I had. Everything looked different.

I was praying that this was the wrong place.


	4. Chapter 4

Everything was nothing but rubble and dust.

Places where there were once buildings crumbled down and shattered to particles. The place was vacant and sparse of people, which really made sense looking at the view around us. Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise at how bad the area looked. "Wow, this place really did get shaken. I thought the destruction was only more by Stark Towers..." I looked over at him, squinting from the sunlight. "Well, I do live in the heart of Manhattan. The whole city went to turmoil. It doesn't surprise me. Wait wait wait- stop here." I quickly climbed out of the car, walking over to a giant pile of dirt and concrete. "What is it?!" Tony called from the car. I stood dead still, staring at everything. I couldn't believe it. My apartment was completely destructed.

I didn't want to show Tony my angst, none the less the fact that I was crying. One tear became two, then four then five. Everything I had ever worked so hard for had been in that apartment. Everything for my career, all my personal items- all gone. I wouldn't have been able to find it now; it was too late. I stared at all the blocks of concrete, wondering where everything lay. "Blair?" Tony called. I didn't reply I just stood still, looking at everything and trying to absorb the reality of it all. "Blair?!" He called again. Still, I didn't budge. I heard a car door slam and I grew tense. "This was it, huh?" He said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I tried to keep my composure, but it was hard to withhold such emotions. He slowly pulled me into a gentle embrace and that's when I let myself go. I cried heavily into his chest, my tears staining his T-shirt. "It's okay," he soothed, slowly stroking my head. "I lost it all," I cried, hiccuping here and there. "Shhh," he consoled. "It'll be alright." I felt him rest his chin on my head as I wrapped my arms around his body.

I had lost it all, and I had nowhere else to go. This had to be some sort of living nightmare. "Come on," Tony muttered, leading me back towards the car. He slowly helped me in, tucking my hair out of my face. I didn't say anything; I just sat there, staring straight ahead and thinking about everything. Tony drove the entire car ride in silence, and only a few tears streamed down my cheeks.

We pulled up to Stark Towers. Tony, being the gentleman that he was, opened my car door for me and held my hand as we went upstairs. He still hadn't said a thing, and I continued to stay with my mouth shut. We rode the elevator quietly and walked back into his penthouse. I didn't say anything but instead went to my guest-room in peace, where I slowly locked the door behind me and cried into a pillow.

There was a faint knock on the door. "Blair?" I didn't respond. The knock sounded again. "Blair, you okay, kiddo?" Sluggishly, I looked up from my pillow and bellowed a low "yeah". It had been obvious that I was crying, just by the sound of my voice. "Just checking in on ya. I'll leave you alone." And with that I head him walk away, leaving me alone to cry in the bedroom of a stranger.

* * *

I decided to show my face about an hour later, but I wasn't greeted by anyone. The entire penthouse was dead quiet; Tony couldn't be found anywhere. "Tony?" I called. No response. I checked the kitchen- I even peeked into his bedroom. No one was there. I decided to take the elevator to one of the other floors, wondering if maybe he could be found there. Just my luck, the floors were labelled by number versus actual names of the levels. And because I knew this place _sooo _well. I decided not to get myself lost in Stark Towers, but instead go down a floor. Just, you know, to play it safe.

The elevator doors opened revealing a large, spacious area, shone only by the dim lights of computers and gadgets and the natural light provided by the sun.. Holograms were popping out of small devices that looked like cellphones, and touch screens were hanging around from the roof. The whole area had been designed with the same layout as the penthouse- making windows full wall-sized. It offered a beautiful view of the city.

There was a cluster of desks in the middle, each one holding a monitor of some sort and a bunch of gadgets. It looked as if someone was huddled over one of them; a silhouette of a working man. It must have been Tony. "Tony?" I called sheepishly, taking one foot out of the elevator. He immediately cocked his head up, and he seemed a little peeved. "Yea?" He snapped. Oh shoot, did I do something wrong? "Oh, I-I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" He rubbed his face and let out a small groan. "No, not at all." He spun around in his swivel chair to face me. "Oh, um... I think I should go..." I stuttered, backing up into the elevator. "No, no, it's okay," He objected. "Come here." I took a few squeamish steps towards him, unsure of how to react. He took my hand in his and said, "Look, I've been thinking... How would you like to stay with me? You know, until you get back on your feet and stuff? After seeing your place and everything with everything that's happened... I don't want you to have to be by yourself out there. So, I won't mind keeping you here with me." My cheeks flushed mad. "That's very sweet of you, Tony... But I couldn't impose on you." He immediately perked up. "No, no, you're not imposing! Of course not!" I felt horrible, but where else was I supposed to go? I had nowhere. "Ohh... Only until I get on my feet, okay? And then, you're kicking me out of here!" I laughed, and a huge grin spread across his face. "Well," I piped. "I'm going to let you finish working, and I'll see you when you're done!"

Walking out, I noticed something from the corner of my eye that made me stop for a few seconds. Tony had immediately begun working again, but I couldn't help but interrupt him this time. "Tony?" I asked, swallowing hard. "Hm?" He hummed. I heard the continuous clitter-clatter of working tools. He hadn't even budged. "What is that?" I blurted. "What is what?" He asked. "_That._" My finger was pointed to the red and gold robot standing perfectly on some sort of platform. I heard Tony stand up from his workspace but I didn't know where he went. All of a sudden it sounded like an engine was powering up; this loud, steady increase in decibels, almost like a roar began to echo through the open space. I immediately turned to my left to see this giant animatronic beast slowly walk towards me. My face grew pale like a piece of paper, as I slowly backed away. "Blair," it roared, its voice muffled and robotic. I wrinkled my eyebrows together. What the hell was going on? All of a sudden, it started talking again. "I believe I never got to introduce myself before. My name is Iron Man." And before I could even say a word, the mask of the being slipped up, exposing Tony's face from underneath. "Y-you're... Y-you're... You're the one who saved me," I stuttered under my breath. "I-I remember, you picked up... Y-you're the guy in the photo!"Holy crap! That was him?! "The very same one," Tony smiled, the mask quickly covering his face. He walked back over to the platform, the robot quickly shutting down as he stepped out. "Okay, that was creepy," I said, still a little nervous from the surprise I just received. He laughed, patting the metal suit. "It's not creepy... It's... justice? If that's the right word." I cocked an eyebrow at him. "I'll explain it all in due time." He said.

Everything began to make sense now. The metal arms the day I got hurt, and how I ended up here in Stark Towers. It was Iron Man.

* * *

Tony came back upstairs, but it felt weird being around him. Especially after seeing him in his Iron Man suit. I think he seemed to notice how I was feeling. "I'm sorry, did the suit thing really creep you out that bad?" He walked into the kitchen and returned to seconds later holding a water bottle in his hand. "It didn't creep me out it just... took me by surprise." He smirked, taking a seat next to me. "I'm sure you'll get a little more comfortable with it as you hang out here more often." He took a sip of water and I quickly snatched the bottle from him while he was drinking. "Um, hello, I was using that, you know?" He said, trying to repress a laugh. I chuckled loudly and took a swig. "What, I got thirsty?" I handed him back the bottle, which he playfully snatched. "You know, there's more water in the fridge, if you'd like to help yourself." I stood up, taking the bottle from him again. "_Yeeeeaaaa, _but I want yours instead." Laughing, I paced around aimlessly, drinking Tony's bottle while he sat there and laughed, watching me travel from one side of the living room to the other. "So, do you have any more secrets I should know about?" I chimed, playfully tapping the water bottle on the heel of my hand. He let out a soft chuckle. "No, not really." I raised my eyebrows. "Not really, huh? Well that doesn't sound too convincing." He smiled, running hand over his goatee. "Tell you this- you'll find out eventually." I stopped, pacing over to him. "_Weeeell,_what if I wanna know now?" I plopped myself down next to him on the couch. He looked over to me, fixing my shirt which seemed to be hanging a little too low, exposing my bra. "As I said, you'll find out eventually." I rolled my eyes. "You're games don't amuse me, Tony." He laughed sneakily. "Neither does New York traffic, but that's life, right?"

Tony and I sat there talking nothing but nonsense for a quite while, when all of a sudden our conversation was cut off by a phone call. "Yo," Tony answered, quickly standing up. "What happened, Romanova?" There was a short pause. "Uh... here." His eyes glanced in my direction for a few seconds. Was he talking about me? There was another pause. "He did? Awe, crap." Uh oh, what's going on? "Was it important?" He bit his lower lip. "Oh, all right. Yea, just tell him that. All right, thanks, Natasha." He hung up, tossing his phone onto the couch. "Damn it!" He hissed. "Everything all right?" I asked, grabbing his phone and wiping the touch screen for him on my jeans. "Yea, just missed an important phone call," he sighed. "Oh," I wasn't sure how to reply to that. It was slightly awkward between us, and Tony went into the kitchen for a minute. I held out his phone and activated the camera; he had an iPhone, just like me. Well, back when I _had _an iPhone. What a coincidence. I switched to his Facetime camera, taking a silly picture of myself and setting it as his lock screen wallpaper. He was bound to notice eventually, but at least it would bring a smile to his face. I hated seeing people upset.

All of a sudden his phone started to ring again. "Nick Fury," I muttered under my breath, reading the caller I.D. aloud. I quickly stood up, scurrying over to the kitchen. "Here, it's some guy named Nick Fury," I said, handing Tony his phone. "Awe, crap," he whined. "Nick," he answered, stepping past me. Just from where I was standing I knew that the unknown man on the other line didn't sound to happy. "No, no, Nick, I understand," he pleaded. I stood leaning against the arch-frame of the kitchen, watching him pace back and forth. Back and forth. "Yessir, I understand." There was a short pause. "No, it's fine, I-" He let out a soft sigh. "I promise I'll be there... Yessir." He quickly hung up the phone, shoving it in his jean pocket with a groan. I stood still, looking at him with innocent eyes. Part of me wanted to say something, and yet the other part of me just told myself to shut up. Tony had his back faced to me, just standing there looking out to the view of the city. Something was bothering him, but I wasn't intending on finding out.

Without a single word from the few minutes of silence among us, Tony headed to to the elevator, and I assumed he was going to his Lab again. I just hung around aimlessly, deciding to pick up a magazine from the rack by the fireplace and amuse myself. All of them had something to do with cars. Or gadgets. Or some sort of electronic. Go figure. I curled up on the ivory chaise, amusing myself with a magazine that I couldn't even understand myself.

No more than 15 minutes later, a loud booming of laughter and giggles was coming from the elevator. I peered up from my magazine, cocking an eyebrow at the suspicious sound. Who the hell was that? It didn't sound like Tony. It sounded like a guy and a girl. "Oh, shut up, Banner," A young woman stepped out from the elevator. She was beautiful; slim figure and gorgeous short red hair. Wow, she could be a model. An older man came behind her shortly after. He had thick, black hair, aged at the sides with grey. They both stopped short when they saw me. "Is Tony here?" Asked the red-head. I lay my magazine down on the chaise, tucking my hair behind my ear. "Um, yea, he's down in his lab, I believe." The man spoke up. "Typical Stark," he chuckled. Both of them walked back towards the elevator, the red-head stopping mid way. She pirouetted and said, "And you are...?" I chuckled. "Blair." She wagged her finger at me. "Ahhh, okay." She shot a confused look over at the man, who stood in the elevator quietly. She stepped in, closing the doors behind her. Well, that was awkward.

* * *

"What are you gonna do, Stark? Play house?" I heard the woman say. She sounded distant, her voice coming from the direction of the elevator. "I don't have any other choice, Natasha." It was Tony this time. "Fury isn't going to like the fact that you're starting to divert yourself to less important things, especially right now." The elevator came to a stop, but the doors didn't open.

"Fury doesn't like a lot of things! I've still been able to keep myself on track."

"Yea, and that's the reason he ripped you a knew one earlier today when you missed the meeting. You didn't even see the half of it."

"All right, Natasha, what would you like me to do? Dump her out in the middle of the street? Her entire apartment was crushed in the aftermath; she had nowhere else to go! I can't just let her wander the streets of New York! God knows what could happen!"

They were talking about me.

"I'm sure she has other options. Tony, right now, you need to focus on what's important."

"And who said this wasn't important."

She let out a hefty sigh. "Apparently, your love-struck ass right now is too blind to realise what I'm trying to tell you. But maybe when Fury decides to finally rip your head off, you'll understand what I'm trying to tell you."

And with that the elevator doors open, Tony and the other two strangers from earlier today walking out. Tony was the first one to notice me sitting by the fireplace, within perfect distance of hearing the entire conversation. He seemed to grow tense as the red-head's eyes grew wide. I bit my lip, looking down at the magazine and pretending to be oblivious towards what happened. But they knew I was listening. "All right," Tony said awkwardly. "I'll uh... I'll see you two at the next meeting." He put his hand on the man's back and escorted them back to the elevator. The doors closed, sealing them both away and Tony crammed his hands in his pocket, hanging his head low. I tossed the magazine back onto the rack, standing up and walking towards the window. I kept my distance, unsure of what to even say to him. Apparently, I was becoming some sort of burden on him or his job of some sorts. And that's the last thing I wanted.

"Blair," he sighed, pacing over to me. He stopped short, noticing my tension. "I don't want you to think that you're the reason for all of this, because you're not. Natasha... She takes things too seriously sometimes. I just don't want what she said to get to you." I looked down, my light blonde hair overshadowing my face. "It's all right," I peeped. "I have to get going soon, anyway. You know, work and all." I sighed, looking back up at the city. It was quiet amongst us for a few seconds, and I felt something touch me. "You can stay as long as you want; the invitation is open," Tony whispered next to my ear. He rested his chin on my shoulder from behind and cupped his hands on my waist. His touch sent this tingle down my spine, making my cheeks blossom bright pink. "Thanks," I mumbled, pulling away from him and heading to the elevator. "Going somewhere?" He asked, following me. "Yea, I'm gonna go the office; talk to my boss and let him know what's going on. I know he's not going to like the fact I missed two days of work." I still felt tense around him, and I was really only going to work as an excuse to get away for a while. I hated having to swallow my problems whole.

* * *

"_Ohhh,_ look who decided to show up," piped a shallow older man. He was full of pride and narcissism, typically high strung. "Henri, I am _so _sorry," I apologised, as he scanned me up and down. He had such an eye for the way people dressed. "Well, at least you had the decency to dress," he commented. Ugh, I hated when he acted like this. "Where have you been?" He raised an eyebrow at me, lightly brushing his black hair away from his face with his fingers. "Henri, after everything that happened... my apartment got caught in the turmoil of the city, and I ended up getting sick. It's been nothing but chaos and-" he cut me off short with an attitude. "And you didn't think about calling me to let me know? Ms. Evans, you've missed two days of work already, unacceptable." I could tell he was starting to grow mad, as his lisp was thickening.

"Well, I would've tried, but-"

"But, but, but- those are just _excuses_, Blair. You know that I have a _very _uptight policy about your attendance to work."

"Henri, I know, and I apologise. I _promise _that as soon as I get everything squared away, I'll be able to come back."

"Soon? How long is soon? We have a very busy work schedule with the Fall line coming up and I don't have time for things like this."

"Well... I'm sure if my health allow in a few days-"

"Blair," he spat. "You don't seem to understand how it works in the fashion industry. You can't let stupid things like this come in between you and your job. New York waits for no one, babe. That's just the way it is."

"Well, then what am I supposed to do?"

"Hmmm, it seems that your personal life is becoming to much of a task for you to handle," he waved his hand at me. "There's too many upcoming events happening right now, and I can't have your little problems brought up into my studio. This is a place of business, and if your head is not in the game, then I can't have you play."

"So what are you trying to say...?"

"Until you can organise your priorities and stop mixing your personal life with your job, you're fired."


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't even bother to say a word to Henri.

I stormed out of the studio, slamming the glass doors behind me. I could've told him off and said what he _really _needed to hear to his face, but it wasn't worth my time. Without any recognition of where I was headed, I aimed all the way down to Central Park. Where the hell was Stark Towers from here, anyway? Hell if I knew.

Central Park was cluttered with population; tourists and regular comers. I decided to take a dip to my favourite part of the familiar landmark- the old oak tree on the east side of the lake. That oak tree and I go way back. Back in Grad School, my friends and I used to hang out by that tree to study. It was never hard to find; it had a branch that took a big, downwards curve, making it easy for climbing. That's why we chose it; we used to hang our feet from the top. I stepped up the trunk, slowly balancing myself across the branch as I took a seat, facing the lake. On the reflection of the water you could see the image of Manhattan, coming together trough hundreds of construction machines and builders. New York wasted no time on gathering itself back on track. Or, as Henri told me, "New York waits for no one, babe." Ugh.

I started to think about Tony and how bad I felt about accepting his offer to stay with him at Stark Tower. We agreed on "until I get back on my feet", but that vision just slipped away from me when I went back to talk to Henri at the studio. It looks like the fashion industry just took a bite out of me; it's a very hard career to get into. Either you get in or you get lost. It's a lottery. One big lottery.

The park started to grow sparse of people, designating my cue to leave. I _never _in my life would want to hang out in Central Park after dark. When the tourists are away, the creepers come out to play, as we say. As beautiful as it was, this place was full of weirdos, and I didn't want to find myself amongst them. I kicked heel all the way down to 42nd street, greeted by the familiar neon lights and signs. I had no idea how far I was from Stark Tower, and that's when it hit me that I couldn't take a cab back. So I was stuck in the middle of New York with nowhere to go. Just like Tony said he didn't want to happen.

The nearby 'Applebee's' was booming with people, forming a cluster of friends and families outside the door. It was hard to get through them, as each flashed you a dirty look thinking you were trying to cut them off or something. Oh, you gotta love New Yorkers. "Blair!" someone called. I immediately reacted to my name, a common reflex of mine. "Blair!" they called again. It was a familiar voice, too. Sounded like a young girl. I turned around again, finding none other than the familiar red-headed chick from earlier that day. Natasha, was her name? Oh, I forgot, I wasn't paying attention. "Blair, hey!" She smiled, giving me a friendly hug. I complied, glancing over the group of people accompanying her. The only person I recognised was the older man that she was with before. "What are you doing here?" She smiled, walking back to the group. Before I could even muster up a reply, a dirty-blond gent piped in. "Hey, that's the baby from the other day!" The red-head gave him a seemingly discreet punch in the arm. Oops? "Oh, I uh... I was just hanging around... Seeing the city." The older man from earlier today voiced himself. "This late? In New York?" Okay, was there pun intended there? "I know, I just- I had to go to work for a bit and I just got out so I figured, 'Hey, why not take a stroll'?" I let out a nervous laugh. The red-head stepped forward, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Well, how about you let us take you home?" Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. "Oh, I really shouldn't, I mean-" The older man cut me off. "Nonsense! We'd be pleasured." The young gingy led me over to a white Jeep parked by a meter with her group, guiding me to the front seat. "Just tell me where to go," he said, strapping himself in the seat. How the hell was I supposed to say this? "Well, um, do you think you could take me back to Stark Tower?" He immediately shot a look to the red-head, who was sitting in the back seat through the rear-view mirror. "Stark Tower it is," he said, speeding down 42nd street.

I rode the entire car trip in silence, listening to the neighbouring conversations of the other riding with us. A burly, older man with long blonde hair would occasionally boom a hearty laugh here and there as he and the dirty-blond gent cracked a few jokes here and there. I felt the older man that was with the red-head earlier that day pas a few looks at me every once in a while, but I didn't seem to budge. "Here we are," he said, pulling up to the familiarly recognised building. "Thank you," I muttered, slowly piling out of the car. The dirty-blond gent waved and I complied with a smile. "I'll walk her in," said the red-head, climbing over the burly man with long blonde and hopping out of the car. She walked me in, riding in the elevator an everything. "So, Blair," she commented as the elevator doors closed. "You're staying with Tony for a while?" I looked away shyly, giving a faint nod. I hated this conversation more than ever right now. "That's pretty nice of him. I'm surprised he has such a soft side, considering the fact that he can be such a jerk sometimes." Wow, she was nice. "I don't know, he's been fairly sweet with me." She chuckled. "Yea, that's cause he thinks you're cute." I bit my lower lip, my eyes gazing around the elevator. "Yea... I guess. By the way, I never caught your name before." She offered out her hand with a smile. "Natasha. Natasha Romanov. And the guy I was with earlier is Dr. Bruce Banner." I shook her hand, revealing a slight smirk.

The elevator doors opened, a seemingly worried Tony scurrying over. "Where were _you_?" He asked, pacing over towards me and Natasha. "I brought her home safe, Stark. No need to worry. I'll see you two later," She smiled, flashing a wave and heading back into the elevator. I waited till the doors closed to talk. "Sorry, I had to go to work," I quickly spat, plopping myself down on the couch and gazing out to the view of the city. I began to grow tense, angry with the thought of everything going through my head. "And?" He said, his voice growing distant. I assumed he was headed to the bar. "I got fired," I muttered, resting my head on my fist. The clattering of glass cups quickly stopped.

"I'm sorry, did you just say that you got _fired?_"

I let out a long sigh, looking back at him. "Pretty sure I didn't stutter."

Tony grew quiet, pouring himself a glass of liquor. He quietly walked over, handing me out a drink. "Well, did your boss at least give you a reason as to why he let you go?"

I took a sip of my drink. "Apparently, I've been getting my personal life mixed in with work and I 'need to get my priorities' straight."

He took a gulp, swallowing it hard. "Did you tell him what happened?"

"Yea, as if that wasn't enough. Like he said, 'New York waits for no one, babe'," I mocked.

He raised his eyebrows. "Wow, guy sounds like a dick. What're you going to do now?"

I rested in cup down on my knee, giving him a shrug in reply. "Find a new job? I don't have many options here." My fingers traced the top ring of the glass in circles.

"Well," he sighed. "As I said before, your option to stay here is still open. Always has been and always will be."

"Yea, but according to Natasha, _I _seem to be the one driving _you _away from your 'priorities'," I blurted. Oh hell, I didn't mean to say that.

Tony froze mid-drink. "Excuse me?"

"I uh... I heard you two talking today in the elevator and..." I drifted off, taking a long pause. "Never mind."

Tony stayed quiet for a minute. "Oh..." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say.

"Look, Tony, I really do appreciate you taking me under your wing and allowing me to stay here while I get back on my feet, but if I'm going to be re-directing you from what's important right now, please don't hesitate to tell me. I don't want to be a burden, and you know that."

"Blair, you're not a burden. Natasha... Natasha just takes things too seriously. Don't let what she said make you feel uncomfortable. She has the bad habit of talking out of her ass sometimes."

I looked away insecurely, letting out a soft sigh.

"I told you before and I'll tell you again: you are free to stay here as long as you need. That's final."

I smiled, reaching over and giving Tony a hug. He wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace, his hands soothingly running up and down my back. "You can stay as long as you want," he whispered right by my ear. "Besides, I could really use the company."

* * *

"All right!" I boomed, slamming my glass down on the wooden coffee table. Tony laughed, reaching over filing me another cup. "Do this one... for your boss," his words were slurred and sluggish. "All- all right." With a shaky hand I raised my cup into the air, toppling left and right on the couch. "Th-this one's f-for Henri," I sounded pretty sloppy myself. "C-cause New York w-waits for no-one." I hiccuped, swallowing the drink whole. "And this one goes to... Natasha," he held his cup up and I quickly grabbed mine and attempted to clink cups with him. "Cause sh-she doesn't seem to... like me." Tony chugged his drink down, rolling the cup down on the carpet floor and taking the bottle of alcohol to the head. I laughed aimlessly, reaching over and snagging the bottle from him, taking it down all at once myself. "I... I think w-we should s-stop drinking," I said, sprawled all over the couch, gripping the bottle by the neck. "O-one more drink and then... and then we... we stop," Tony smiled, attempting to get up from the couch, but failing. I gripped the bottle's neck with dear life, standing up and grabbing him by the hand. "Come on..." He sloppily stood up as we staggered and stumbled over to the quarters. We were leaning all over each other, stepping on each other's feet. Boy, we were freakin' drunk. Plastered, even.

Tony and I plopped back on the bed, and I took the last swig of alcohol, letting the bottle fall off the bed. Tony lay there flat, staring at the ceiling and I just lay next to him, doing the same. All of a sudden, he started to burst into random song, and I soon followed after. We crawled up the bed, singing to our hearts content, in an off-key harmony. We were belting to our heart's content, flopping all over the place as we attempted to pronounce the most basic of words in the lyrics, thinking we were rockstars of some sort. Boy, we were freakin' drunk. Drunk and happy as clams.


	6. Chapter 6

The sun's rays beamed through the glass walls, illuminating everything they touched. I buried my face into the pillow, the my entire head pounding. I thought my brain was going to pulsate out of my skull. Letting out a hefty sigh I turned to my back, staring up at the ceiling. For some reason something felt different. I looked around, glancing at the beige masonry wall with the ivory fire mantle right straight in front and accented black furniture. Hold up- this wasn't the guest room...

I quickly scanned the room for a familiar sight, my eyes catching a black wood dresser. It was cluttered with shirt cuff clips and bottles of expensive colognes. Dear God, I slept in Tony's room...

Without hesitation the ivory bed sheets flew off. I let out a sigh of relief to see that my clothes were actually still _on._ There was a bottle of aspirin sitting on the table, with a note underneath it. The handwriting was a very unique scrawl. "'_You're going to need it. __Trust me.'__," _it read. I set it down, quickly noticing the glass of water hiding behind the lamp. Wow, he was such a doll. I popped two pills without even thinking, swallowing them down with water like I've never had a drink in my _life. _What a hard night.

My feet sluggishly dragged me to the living room. Tony was sitting on the couch, covered by 'The New York Times'. "Morning," he called, folding the newspaper down on his lap. I let out a yawn, plopping myself next to him. "Morning," I replied, running a hand through my hair. Just by the feel of it I could tell that it was a MESS. "So, some night, huh?" Tony chuckled, leaning over to pick up his mug from the coffee table. "Oh God, don't even get me started." I rubbed the back of my neck. He smiled, taking a sip. "The last thing I oddly remember was my breakout of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'." I rolled my eyes. "Yea, I'm pretty sure that sporadic duo of classic rock really set the night on good." Tony set his cup down, giving me a glance. "Get dressed," He said. I scanned down my body. "But uh... I'm already dressed." He shook his head. "No, no, I mean go change out of what you're wearing." I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Um, okay? But may I ask why?" He repressed a smile. "We're going out. Now go." I stood up, following his orders. "And wear the blue dress!" He chimed. I turned around and he flashed me a wink. He was so mischievous.

"_Heeeey_, would you look at that!" Tony chuckled, scanning me from head to toe. He walked over, taking my hand and twirling me around. "I did a pretty damn good job picking that out, didn't I?" I smiled widely, some blush sprinkling over my cheeks. "I have to admit, you did! You have some pretty good taste." He leaned over to the side, taking a glimpse at my backside. "And why hello-" I gave him a playful smack. "Don't you even dare!" He laughed, quickly walking over to the elevator. "Let's go, can't be late!" I pulled my dress down as it was a tad short and scurried over. "Where are we even going?" Tony pressed the elevator button, not even looking over to me. "Somewhere," he said. I rolled my eyes. "Okay, smart allec. Think I could figure that one out on my own. Seriously, where are we going?" He unravelled a small smirk. Oh Jesus, what was he up to?

* * *

"I'm sorry, where the hell are we?" I quickly tagged behind Tony, weaving myself through busy people walking in and out of the large building. "S.H.I.E.D.," he said, keeping his focus straight. I was having a hard time keeping up with his fast pace. "And why are we here?" I had was practically yelling to get my voice across. "Because, I had to come and I felt bad leaving you at Stark Tower by yourself. So think of it as a bit of a field trip," he said, walking into a large, glass room. It was filled with hanging glass monitors and tables with intricate gadgets. Almost like Tony's lab except brighter and smaller. There was a man standing in front of a table, his back facing the entrance. "Banner!" called Tony. The man turned around, revealing himself as the older gentleman from the day before. "Dr. Banner," I smiled, offering out my hand. He shook it gently with a smile. "Pleasure to finally and _formally _meet you. You must be...?" He smiled. "Blair," I piped on. "That's right, you were at Stark Tower when Natasha and I visited. Well, it's nice to finally put the name to the face." I stepped back standing next to Tony, who was glaring over at a monitor. "What's that?" Tony cocked his head. "Analysis," replied Dr. Banner. He didn't even look up from what he was doing. He seemed to be evaluating some sort of gold... spear was it? Yea, it was a giant gold spear. "This is the whole thing?" Tony's finger was sliding left and right on the glass, changing the hologram image. "Yeap," Dr. Banner said, tinkering with the weapon. I awkwardly stood away from them by the door, trying not to disrupt anything. This place was _waaaaay _too technologically advanced for me. I was a fashion student, not a scientist.

More and more people started to flood the room, all of whom which I remembered from yesterday. They were with Natasha when her and Dr. Banner drove me home. Speaking of Natasha, she didn't seem to happy to be with my presence. "Why's she here?" She said, looking over to Tony. She must be bi-polar or something. Well damn, hello to you too_. "_Does it matter?" Tony said, walking over to me. "Well, it does when there's lots of work to do today." I looked over at Tony who seemed to be growing stiff. "Okay, Natasha, you're annoying me and I don't like it." She rolled her eyes and I sheepishly voiced myself in. "You know, if it's too much of a problem, I could go..." Natasha flashed me a somewhat sincere look. "Don't worry about it." She immediately glanced over at Tony, who was giving her the death glare. I stood there awkwardly, feeling the tension between the two. "So what is the meeting for today?" boomed the burly blonde haired man. I remember him. The loud one. "Apparently Fury is going to speak to us about some town meeting regarding the after-math of the city," replied a dirty-blonde gent. I remember him, too. His voice sounded oddly familiar. I wrinkled my eyebrows at him, tilting my head as I attempted to put the voice with the face. "Oh, Fury mentioned something about that to me earlier, I just wasn't paying attention," Natasha replied, tucking her fire red hair behind her ear. She quickly turned around to see a talk, dark man with an eye patch walking outside the glass. What the hell...? "Let's go," she quickly called, the whole group assembling out the door. Tony quickly turned around, walking over. "I'll be right back. Don't touch anything and if something breaks, you run away." I nodded my head, giving him a roll of the eyes. "Yes, I know." He ran off, and I walked aimlessly about the room. I was getting sick of seeing gadgets that I had no idea what they were used for, but that spear kept catching my attention.

* * *

Tony had been gone for an hour now. I was sitting on a computer chair just waiting and waiting. I would've had more fun just being alone at Stark Tower than here. Ugh, what boredom! I decided to kick heel around the area and just do a little exploring. I had never heard of his place anyway, so why not familiarise myself?

I ended up wandering around the premise, getting odd and strange looks from people. I have to admit I did look very out of place compared to everyone else. There was an area where the lighting began to fade, uninhabited by anyone. I quietly crept over, knowing I could make it back before Tony and the rest. I led myself to an open reserve, with a giant confinement dome in the middle. It was completely sealed. Must have been made with some type of carbonate as the glass was thick, almost shatter-proof. Never thought I'd actually learn something in Chemistry back in high school. A man sat inside, his back facing me. I stood squinting my eyes, attempting to make out the profile of this stranger. I'd never seen him before, not with Natasha or the group. He stood up and took a few paces, stopping when he saw me. His blue eyes were burning with seriousness. I took a few steps forward, swallowing down my fear. "Who are you," he muttered. My eyes widened. "B-Blair," I stammered. His eyes checked me from top to bottom. "What are you doing here?" His voice was low, almost at a whisper. "I'm um... I'm just here with... With Tony..." I paused. "You are...?" His eyes grew ferocious with a glow. "I'm Loki..." He hissed, a sinister smile curling over his face. He pressed his palm to the glass. "You... You know how to reach the Slow Stick." I looked at him with a confused expression. "The Glow Stick...?" He smiled from ear to ear; an evil smile. "Yes... My spear. A beautiful girl like you, I'm sure, could easily follow an order, hm? Now, I'm not going to manipulate you, as I know you're smarter than that. But I'm sure you can find a way to release me from this captivity." He pounded his fist on the glass, making me jolt. I grew scared and unsure, feeling as if he were cornering me when in reality _he _was the one who was held back. I didn't say anything, I just took a few paces back, but my eyes were the sizes of dinner platters. He chuckled, pacing around the enclosure. "Oh, don't be scared, my darling," he said. "It's just a simple favour I'm asking for, nothing too much." I didn't reply, I just stood there watching him. I felt captivated by his presence. As if he he was holding me in a trance that wouldn't leave me.

"Blair!" Someone called. Tony? Oh shit. "Blair?" He called again. "There you are," he stormed over. He stopped next to me, flashing a death glare at Loki. "You're so damn lucky you're on the other side of that glass," he muttered. Loki smiled widely. "Oh, come on, don't be like that! We were just talking, is all." Tony immediately put his arm around my waist, pulling me away. I looked back at Loki who stood tall, just staring at me with a smile.

A beautiful, mischievous smile.

"What were you doing over there?" Tony scolded, walking me back into the room we were al gathered in before he left. "N-nothing, I just... I just walked off is all." Tony looked upset. Really upset. "You don't _ever _mess with him. You are to stay as _far _away from him as possible. He is nothing but damn trouble. That's why he's locked up in there." I looked away, sitting down on the computer chair. I felt like a little girl being scolded by a parent. I didn't even say anything to him. Before Tony could even open his mouth to speak again, the rest of the group came walking back in. "What's going on here?" Said the dirty blond gent. He wrinkled his eyebrows at Tony and I. "Nothing, Rogers," snapped Tony. I looked up at the dirty blond gent, who taken aback by Tony's bite. "Oh, well, excuse me," he said. I looked up at him, feeling sorry for the way Tony acted to him. "Don't let him get to you," I said, raising my eyebrows at Tony. He gave me a reassured nod, and I switched my gaze back to Tony. He was looking down at me and everyone else just stood there awkwardly. Tony walked out, sternly calling, "Come on, Blair." I looked over to him, slowly smoothing my dress down and walking out after him. I waited until we couldn't be seen by anyone through the glass to even attempt to talk to him. "What was that about?" I said. He immediately stopped walking.

"What was what about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Tony. You almost ripped that poor guy's head off just because he asked you a simple question."

"Oh, come on."

"Seriously! You didn't have to act so rude!"

"I wasn't being rude, he was just ticking me off."

I glared at him.

"See, you're- you're talking to me and I don't like the conversation, can we stop now?"

"You don't have to be such a douche."

"I'm not being a douche!"

"Yes you are!"

"Ahem," coughed someone from behind. Tony's eyes widened as the man stepped over to the both of us. It was the same man as before, the one who wore the eye-patch. "Stark," his low voice boomed. "If you're going to bring your personal matters over to S.H.I.E.L.D., I'd appreciate it if you just don't show up at all." I sheepishly piped in. "I'm sorry, sir. If you'll excuse me, I was just leaving." I walked past the two of them, Tony reaching out his arm in an attempt to grab me. I swerved away, keeping my pace to the parking lot of S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony stayed talking to the man with the eye-patch, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Tony was acting awfully strange, and it was starting to piss me off.

"Blair!" Tony called as I was halfway across the parking lot. I was heading towards his car, which was parked all the way on the other side, lucky me. "Blair, come on!" I ignored him, but before I could even take another step forward Tony was running over, jerking me back by the arm. "What the hell," he breathed. I jerked my arm away but he quickly yanked it back. "What the hell you! Let me go!" He looked me dead in the eye. "No," said. I squirmed away and he held my other arm. "Let. Me. GO." I kept fidgeting but Tony had this undermined strength I just couldn't beat. "I'm not going to let you leave," he said. I rolled my eyes, standing still.

"Hear me out. I don't want you near that guy. Ever."

"Yea, I think we established that after you treated me like I was five and then you almost bit that guy's head off!"

"I'm being serious here!"

"As am I."

He let out a long sigh.

"I don't understand why you're acting like this all of a sudden."

"Acting like what? You keep accusing me-"

I shook my head. "You know, I think Natasha was right... You are a jerk."

I walked off and Tony just stood there. "Really, Blair?! That's the way you're going to be?! After everything I've done for you?"

"You only did it because you thought I was cute!"

Tony ran over, pulling me by my shoulder and turning me around. "I did it because it was _humane._"

"Oh, so you thought it was humane to act like that? Or to treat me like I'm some child of yours? I'm twenty-two years old, Tony!"

Tony looked me dead in the eye, his expression speaking for itself. "I act like that because I don't want you to get hurt again. I want to protect you." His voice slowly began to escalate. "And if I could shield you from the idiot who put you in this position in the first place, then I know I'm doing something right!"

That was the first time Tony ever cracked the mould on himself.


	7. Chapter 7

_The man who put you in this position._

I walked back to the car, keeping my mouth shut. Tony stood there silently as he watched me leave, not lifting a finger to stop me. Lucky for myself the convertible rooftop to the car was left down, so I pulled one of his moves and jumped over the door, hopping into the passenger's seat. Those eight words kept ringing in my head, though. That one sentence; it kept beating me up inside. I put a clean slate to mind, attempting not to give way to things of no importance. Tony was probably talking through his hat, as usual.

Biting my nail, I sneakily turned around and peeked to see if Tony was still there. What a bad habit; I've gotta break that soon. To my surprise, the tall, dark man with the eye-patch was with him. Tony's glare was beaming at me. Straight towards me, as if our eyes were two magnets attracting each others' forces. I looked away, turning back around. I felt really bad about the way I treated him, and I started to re-counter everything I told him. What a way to come off as a bitch to him. I figured he was going to come back to the car sometime soon, so instead of running over to apologise, like I wanted, I stayed put. In a way I didn't regret what I said to him, but _how _I said it.

Tony sternly walked over, opening the car door for himself and slamming into the seat. He didn't say anything, but I felt the angst radiating off of him. My eyes were fixated on some building opposite of him, so I used it as an aversion from having to deal with anything. He suddenly became a reckless driver, swerving himself in and out of traffic as we drove back to Stark Tower. I didn't object; just strapped my seatbelt on and let him "vent". I think...

I slowly walked behind him as he stormed into the building. Riding in the elevator was going to be awkward. Or at least so I thought. Before I could even take one more step forward, he closed the doors on me. Well, I guess I'll wait till he steps off. I paced about, watching people walk past the tower from behind the glass door. I wished that I could be one of those people, who's business seemed to be elsewhere, but running away from your problems will lead you to nowhere. The ironic twist.

When the elevator arrived back down, I wasn't surprised to see that the opening doors revealed nothing behind them. With a heavy sigh I rode back up to the penthouse, not expecting to be greeted by anyone there either. It felt weird knowingly being alone. I took off my converse in the elevator, holding them by the backs when I walked out. I tossed them by the mantle, pacing myself to the bar and pouring a glass of I don't know what. The first liquor I saw was the first I grabbed. I was too upset to even care. I leaned over the counter, twirling the cup around in the sunlight that came through the giant windows. I barely even drank anything, setting it down and walking over to the guest bedroom and closing the door behind me. Even with Tony not being in the same area as me, I could feel the tension between us. Not to mention the angst, and the guilt, and everything else just jumbled to one fucking pile called "emotions".

* * *

Between pacing around the room and slamming fists on dressers, I managed to only kill an hour. Tony never came back, and I didn't blame him. I started to wonder why I was so hung over his return; I mean, I did the same thing to him. I kept asking myself why I was so stressed about seeing him, and why it was killing me inside to see him, but I couldn't come up with an answer. The more I tried to forget him, though, the more I heard yearned for him to just barge back into the room. Just for him to walk in an apologise. Or actually, the opposite...

By now the moon was the only thing illuminating the room, and it was nothing but a faint light. It must have been maybe eight, eight-thirty-ish. I hadn't left the room since we came home, but I decided to peek out and see if anything had changed. Everything was still the same, though. I was able to tell by the fact that the glass of liquor I left on top of the counter remained completely intact.

But there was a vibrating sound. A constant and steady _bzzt, bzt, bzzzt. Bzzt bzt bzzzt. _I cocked an eyebrow, following the steady pulse. It suddenly stopped. A few seconds later, it started up again._ Bzzt bzt bzzzt. Bzzt bzt bzzzt. Bzzt bzt bzzzt. _And it stopped again. I stood still in the heart of the living room, waiting for the buzz again. It was like playing Where's Waldo, but instead of a man in a striped shirt I was looking for a phone. Or at least, I think it's a phone. _Bzzt bzzt. _There it was again! I skedaddled over the bar, swiping the phone from the granite counter. It was Tony's iPhone... huh. That could only mean that he stopped here first before going wherever the hell he left to. I looked down at the brightly lit screen. _'Stark, pick up the damn phone_ please' read the text. It was from Natasha. The phone started to vibrate again, the caller ID reading "Natasha Romanov". I slid the green call button across the screen hesitatingly. "Natasha?" I asked, holding the phone up to my ear.

"Sta- Oh, well um," she chuckled. "This is awkward... I was expecting Tony to answer the phone... not you."

"Yea, sorry about that. Tony seemed to leave his phone here." I snapped. Oops.

"Everything okay, Blair? You sound a little off."

"Oh, I'm fine. Dandy, actually."

"Well that's one I haven't heard in a while. Not to intrude in business that I don't belong in or anything, but does this have anything to do with what happened earlier today at S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Oh, you mean when Tony decided to embarrass me as if I were some sort of child?" I felt a flush of anger wash through my being when a recap of earlier that day began to reel through my head.

"Why doesn't this surprise me?"

"I'm glad you saw this one coming, cause I was caught off guard."

She sighed. "Blair, there's a lot about Tony you don't know yet."

"Apparently not!"

"Just let him simmer down and get over it. I'm sure he's probably hibernating in his lab, as always. Don't let what he did phase you."

"Oh, I'm not! Trust me on that one. I'm just... I'm just a little upset. After all, it wasn't _all _his fault. I kind of had my fair share of words, too."

There was a short pause. "Hm, well, whatever it is, I'm sure it was nothing but another bump in the road. Tony's a chill guy. He's very 'go with the flow'. I'm sure he'll grow out of it... Anyway, when you see him, can you let him know that I called?"

"Yea," I sighed. "When I see him..." My voice dropped down to a low mutter as my eyes glanced out into the city.

"Thanks, Blair. I'll talk to you soon."

"All right, bye."

I tossed the phone on the counter and went to go take a seat on the couch. I still felt bad about everything that happened with Tony, but didn't want to tread on his territory just yet. Something told me he was still heated when he hadn't come back yet. But it's like Natasha said, just let him simmer down and wait for him to come to me. But I wanted to be the stronger person. I wanted him to know that I was going to take responsibility for myself.

I took the elevator down to the lab, the first place I figured I would find him. Wise choice, I might add. Tony was huddled over at a table, tinkering with some sort of little machinery. When wasn't he? The holograms were lit up, glowing through the whole open space. "Sir, you have a visitor," piped his computer in a low, monotonous tone. Tony swivelled around in his chair, stopping with a dead expression on his face as he looked up at me. "Natasha called," I paced over stiffly, handing out his phone to him. "She said to call her back when you can." He slowly took the phone from me, looking down at it. I turned around and proceeded to leave the lab when Tony reached out and pulled my hand from behind. I twirled around, biting my lip in angst. Tony didn't say anything, he just looked down and pulled me towards him. His eyes wouldn't meet mine, as he kept resisting the urge. I looked down at him, standing still as his hand slowly let go of mine. He sheepishly glanced up and I let out a hearty sigh. My cheeks flushed as he gently smoothed out all the crinkles in the bottom ruffle of my dress. He stood up, cupping my face in his hands and planting a tender kiss on my forehead. His lips were warm to the touch, sending a tingle down my spine. I reached out for him as he walked away; I wanted to apologise and tell him how I didn't mean to react the way I did, but the moment he turned around I grew speechless. I forgot everything I wanted say; the apology, everything. I sighed, sliding my hand down and letting his slip away. Tony raised an eyebrow at me and I shook my head in reply. He strolled over, and I rested my hands on his shoulders when he was in reach. His head slowly reached down, his eyes timidly closing. I pressed myself against him, my head slowly cocking itself to the right. I could feel the magnetic pull between us. Ever so lightly out lips brushed, practically not even touching.

And Tony's phone started to vibrate.


	8. Chapter 8

He quickly leaned over, nabbing his phone of the table and answering it with a smile. He slid away, walking towards the elevator, the doors concealing him. I stood there and watched him walk off, not seeming to pay any regards to our almost kiss.

_Almost_ kiss.

My sick twisted fantasies kept begging for another chance with Tony and much more. I knew it wouldn't happen; it was just a freak spur of the moment. With a sigh I waited for the elevator to come down so I can hitch a ride back up. In my head I kept replaying what it would have been like if Tony and I actually did kiss. And then I started to question all these feelings for him.

I got upstairs and Tony was standing behind the bar, pouring himself a drink. He looked up at the sound of the elevator doors opening, holding up the bottle of liquor at me. I shook my head, walking quietly to the room. Tony ran over, stopping right in front me.

"Can I help you?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Ouch," he said. "Still got your panties in a twist?"

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Tony."

He raised his eyebrows when I said his name. "Yes?"

I shook him off, attempting to walk past him but he darted in front of me again. "I'm not letting you get away," he said. I folded my arms across my chest, glaring up at him. "And why is that?" He tried repressing a smile. "Because, you're still mad at me. So how about you accept my apology and go shower and slip into something more comfortable?" I rolled my eyes, a smirk slowly unravelling itself. "You mean your shirt?" Tony stooped down, planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek. "All right," he joked, sending me on my way with a smack on the ass. I shrieked, quickly turning around as I covered my backside. Tony was cracking up, walking back to the bar and grabbing his drink off the counter.

I knew I couldn't stay mad at him forever.

* * *

I walked into the bathroom, stripping down to my bare skin and hopped into the steaming shower. The water was relaxing, and I felt as if it washed away everything that happened earlier that day. It pounded on the stone tile, echoing through the bathroom. Just as I was about to shut off the water and step out, Tony knocked on the door, walking in. "Thanks for waiting for me to answer," I said. He was wrapped in a towel and had another one in his hand. "I forgot to give you a towel," he said. It was moments like this that I was do thankful for steam. Again. Tong looked devilishly handsome being three-fourths naked, I must admit, though. "Thanks," I said, shutting off the water. Tony walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I quickly stepped out, drying myself off. I unfolded Tony's white button down shirt that he left folded on the counter, and there was a surprise folded in the middle. Neatly placed in the centre were a matching hot pink lace bra and underwear set. Really, Tony? Really? Well, they were nice... And comfortable, too. I stepped out, seeing that Tony beat me to the couch. "Wait," he said. I stopped in my tracks, raising an eyebrow at him. He twirled his finger around, flashing a devilish smirk. Feeling confident in my new lingerie I pirouetted in a perfect circle, giving him a tease of the underwear. Girls just wanna have fun, right? Maybe it's just this girl. Oh well!

"Ooo, look at that!" he laughed. I curled up next to him, and he put his arm around me, looking down with a smile. He bit his lip, pulling up my shirt for me. I looked down at his hand, watching it gently move. He smoothed down the material, his hand freezing over my chest. I wrinkled my eyebrows as his palm gently rested on my chest and he grew quiet. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his hand slowly sliding down to his lap. "What was it?" My voice was quiet and soft. I looked down at his hand and then back up at his brown eyes, which glossed with sadness. "Nothing I just..." He shook his head, his eyes gazing away. "It was nothing." My lips cornered, my eyebrows furrowing together. "No, tell me." My hands gripped his shirt gently, crinkling under my fingers. I gazed down at my hold, the material tugging down. There was a flash. A blue flash.

I must be seeing things. With a feeble hand I rested my finger on the light, a hard surface. My finger quickly curled in, my hand retracting away. Tony looked down at his chest, staying hushed. "I'm sorry, either I've gone crazy or there's something under your shirt," I chuckled nervously. Without saying a word he pulled up his shirt, revealing some sort of disk that glowed a bright light blue. It was crested with a type of silver metal and seemed sturdy and almost indestructible. My fingers gently graced it, the metal cold to the touch. "Wh-what is it?" Tony hesitated to answer before feeding into my curiosity. "Arc Receptor," he commented, looking down and running his hand over it. "Arc Receptor...?" I slowly repeated, savouring the unfamiliar words. "It's uh... it's my life source," He lowly peeped, rubbing the back of his neck. "Almost like my heart." I looked back down, softly running my hand over it again. "_Almost?_" I asked. He nodded, his eyes focusing on a million things at once. "B-but, you _do_ have a heart...?" We had come down to almost whispers. Tony sighed, staying quiet. His hand slowly rose, resting itself once again over my bust. I sheepishly looked down as it rose and fell with every breath I took. Tony rested his forehead against mine, his eyes glued to his hand. "Tony," I said, cupping his face in my hands. I darted my gaze to his brown eyes. "You _have_ a heart. Arc Receptor or not, it's there. I know it." Our foreheads were pressed together, and we were dangerously close.

Beautifully and dangerously close.

"But it will never be as beautiful as yours," he whispered. I slowly rested my hand upon his, giving it a soft squeeze. I felt a little more brave than before, and without hesitation, Tony leaned in even _closer, _our lips colliding into an unbreakable lock. Ever so slowly we were in perfect synchronisation, his hand slowly resting on my neck, warm to the touch. His lips were soft and tender, inviting and graceful. I ran my fingers through his black hair, letting my fingers grace through his locks.

I was trying so hard not to get caught up in him, but he was absent-mindedly making me want him.


	9. Chapter 9

It was a beautifully passionate kiss.

Tony's lips slowly pulled away, our eyes both fluttering open. My fingers curled in his hair, loosening their grip. Tony smirked, looking away as blush blossomed his cheeks. My hand cupped his face, planting a light kiss on his lips. Tony's palm slid up from my chest to my neck, twirling my hair in between his fingers. We sat in silence, our eyes doing the talking for us. Awkward glances, blushing stares, and glossy glares. We were wrapped in one another.

I felt Tony's other hand intertwine itself with mine, fitting perfectly with one another.

* * *

I woke up once again in Tony's room, and he was sleeping soundly next to me. His arc receptor shone brightly from his exposed chest, his veins protruding. My eyes widened at the light purple swelling. He didn't seemed to be bothered by it, as he was out like a light. I smiled at how peaceful he looked. Attempting not to make a sound I crawled out of bed, tip toeing out into the kitchen. I stalked the cabinets for his tumbler, which was, of course, right next to his cabinet coffee unit. Oh, the luxury. The screen beeped at the touch of a button, lighting up all the different options available to make a drink. "Doesn't this guy have like, something pre-set or something?" I muttered to myself. Ah, favourites button! I tapped the yellow star in the corner of the screen and immediately I was asked to set my cup on the stand. Oh, all right. Less work for me.

With Tony's coffee preparing itself I peeked into his fridge and cabinet for something to eat. I nabbed an apple off if the fruit basket and dug my teeth into it. With all the liquor we've been drinking, it would be wise to make a healthy choice for once. Tony still wasn't up when I peeked into the living room. I quickly skedaddled over to the coffee maker as it beeped, quite annoyingly. With a twist the lid was on and I slowly sneaked back into the bedroom, Tony's bare chest completely exposed from the bed sheets. I slowly leaned down to ear level, chuckling before I could even say anything. "Good morning, handsome," I whispered with a smile. Tony moaned, giving himself a good stretch as he faced me. "Good morning to you," he smirked, taking my hand and pulling me towards him. I climbed on top of him, straddling myself on his stomach as I held his drink. "Made you breakfast," I said. "Caramel macchiato, with extra whip." He took the cup and placed it slowly on the night stand next to him. "Thank you, dear," he said. He gave me a hearty pat on my bare thighs and his eyes smiled at me. "We've got a big day," he said. "We have to go back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury's got me all tied up." I raised an eyebrow. "Fury...?" He smiled. "Patchy the Pirate." My eyebrows furrowed together. "Oh, you mean the guy with the eye patch?" He chuckled. "Bingo." The joke finally registered a few seconds later. "Awe, that's mean!" I playfully slapped him and he gave out a hearty laugh. "All right, babe," He smiled. "Let's get ready."

I climbed off of Tony and he sluggishly got out of bed, pulling down his pajama pants and exposing himself to nothing but his underwear. "Hey hey hey!" I said, playfully shielding myself. "Did you forget I was still here?" He rolled his eyes, strolling over. With a slow hand he unbuttoned the shirt I was wearing and slid it off my shoulders and exposing the pink lingerie hidden underneath. Now it was my turn to be in my underwear too. I blushed, the cool AC hitting my skin and sparking goosebumps. "I just realised though, I don't have any clean clothes..." Wow, what an embarrassment. Tony chuckled to himself, leaving me confused. He casually paced over to a frosted glass door, revealing what was to be a vast wonderland of a walk in closet. "In to the left," he smiled. I slowly walked in, my eyes catching glimpses of the different sectionals of clothing. "Holy..." I peered my head and was welcomed to a vast array of women's clothes. Shirts, shoes, dresses, scarves- it was all neatly organised by colour and length. I ran out straight into Tony's arms, which held me in a tight embrace. "Now, you can't complain about not having anything to wear," he laughed. I quickly pulled away and excitedly skipped back in, peering through racks and shelves. "When did you do this?!" I called. He walked in, running a hand through his hair. "I might of had a few late nights and some pulled strings," he winked. I ran my hand through the racks and pulled out a cute white sun dress from amongst the vast line of clothes and other dresses. "Oh my god!" I laughed, still shocked by the over-whelming surprise. Tony walked over, giving me a quick kiss and walking out. "You're welcome," he chuckled. He was seriously spoiling me.

* * *

"Are you done?" Tony called from the living room. I scurried out, fixing my hair. I was having too much fun with my new toy. Or in this case, closet. Or treasure. "Yes, yes, I'm done!" I laughed, running out. My glitter-covered gold ballet flats shone with the light that peered into the living room, shining my trail. I must have spent at _least _thirty minutes just picking out an outfit. Oh, I love it! Tony stood up from the couch and walked over to the elevator, stepping in, and I quickly scurried in behind him. Tony's hand crept over, softly clinging by only a few fingers. He slowly leaned in and planted a kiss on top of my head. It felt weird that all of a sudden he was acting like such... boyfriend material.

But I felt scared that wasn't going to last long.

We pulled up to S.H.I.E.L.D., and the blonde gent was standing with a seemingly young man, much shorter than him. Tony and I got out of the car, and the second I was in reach Tony locked hands with me. I was surprised by the gesture. Especially after what happened last time we were here. "Stark, great to see you," said the blond gent. He leaned in, giving Tony one of those "man-hugs" in which Tone complied with his free hand. "Hello, dolly," he looked over to me, gracing my spare hand with a gentle kiss. I blushed, letting out a soft chuckle. "I believe we haven't met before," said the younger man, offering out a hand. "Clint Barton." I shook his hand with a smile. "Blair Evans." Tony gave my hand a soft squeeze, in which the blonde gent noticed. "So, Tony, this is your baby?" He flashed me a warm smile. I looked over at Tony who shook his head. "Something like that, Steve." _That _was his name. Steve. We walked into the building as Steve's comment rang through my head. I had a feeling I knew what it meant, but I just wasn't that sure.

We walked into the building; Tony and I were still holding hands. Natasha seemed to have something to say about it when we walked into the lab. "Well that escalated quickly," she commented, raising her eyebrows at us. The rest of the people there seemed to just stay quiet and I could feel Tony's tension levels rising. "You know, Natasha, last time I recalled my personal life _didn't _involve you. I'd like to keep it that way." Natasha rolled her eyes. "Didn't you just meet her? I mean, wow. All I'm saying is that things escalated quickly." Tony grew stern. "You know Natasha, I like the way you talk about Blair as if she wasn't in the room." Natasha and Tony started exchanging words and I started to focus my attention to other small things in the room, keeping my mind busy. The stress levels among them sky rocketed, and my eyes were latching onto anything that would keep me busy.

Guards stalked the hallways in perfect synchronisation, by sets of two. More and more walked one next to the other, leading down one behind the other. The row was then split, with two men standing on either side of a captive. The man who seemingly possessed the title of "villain" was held to the left and right by a guard. He had a muzzle of metal around his mouth, but he needed no words to express his inner thoughts. His green eyes glowed with anger and intimidation. They captivated me at an instant, leaving me in a trance. I remembered those luscious green eyes perfectly. Their strong hold was no stranger to me. The only thing he was missing was that marvellously mischievous smile. His beauty was enticing, even for someone who was being held back against his will.

For a split second, Loki had me. For a split second it was as if Loki just pulled me away from Tony and stole me for himself.

And I felt no objection.


	10. Chapter 10

Natasha and Tony continued to escalate voices, but their words were incoherent. Loki peered through the railing with his eyes of the devil. He slowly paced away, his head hanging low with despair. "Oh, just shut up, Natasha," Tony's words faded in louder and louder as I diverted my attention back into the conversation. "Why don't you? You're the one acting like this!" Natasha snapped. Tony quickly turned and walk away as means to ignore her, pulling me with him. I skipped over with him, being tugged as he was still holding my hand. He walked over to a monitor, taping and swiping his hand across it as graphics flashed across the screen. I turned around, noticing Natasha muttering something to Steve as she bit her nail in angst. Her eyes were glaring straight at me and Tony, which gave me an odd feeling.

Banner immediately after walked into the lab, interrupting the small chatter amongst the rest of us. "Fury wants us at the chamber," he called, stepping out right after. Everyone crowded at the door, Tony and I trailing behind. Even when we had to weave through agents and workers to keep up with everyone else, Tony's hand never let go. Which I thought was cute. The chamber was the same place I last saw Loki; the isolation glass. He was standing tall with a guard on either side of him. Fury stepped into the glass enclosure, standing just behind Loki. He hung is head with innocence as he was held against his will. He didn't budge; he didn't fight. He complied with every order, every command. "We're going to call a truce with Loki," Fury boomed from inside. Everyone grew silent, but Tony, of course. "Wait, you're saying that after all the shit this guy did we're actually going to _forgive _him?" Fury stood tall with authority. "It's a _truce_, Stark. A question of peace amongst our enemies." Tony rolled his eyes. Loki didn't budge at his rude comments, but you could see from his expression that it did a number on him. Fury stood behind Loki, detaching the metallic grey muzzle that constricted his mouth. There was a red mark around his cheeks and jaw, tracing the outline of where it rested on his face. Loki gave Fury a nod of gratitude and he was soon freed from the grips of security. "I seriously don't understand the point of this," Tony piped. Natasha snapped at him. "We already explained this to you, Stark." Tony beamed his eyes at her, growing tense again. Were these two ever going to stop? "Did I ask you to speak, Romanov? Didn't think so." Natasha paced over stiffly. "Listen I'm not the one bringing-" Fury's immediately cut the ties between them. "That's enough! This is a place for working matters only! I'm tired of you two fighting like children! If you're going to act like this, I suggest you both leave!" He gave a stern look at Tony and then Natasha, who folded her arms across her chest and walked back to where she was standing. Loki looked at both of them with raised eyebrows, gazing quietly at the argument. "Great to have you with us, brother!" Boomed the burly blonde haired man. Wait, what? Brother? "Brother?" I muttered quietly. He seemed to have heard my quiet comment.

"Yes, Loki is my brother."

Loki's eyes peered up at him. "Yes... Your _adoptive _brother."

The burly blonde chuckled. "Adopted or not, siblings are siblings."

"Yes, or so I thought till I realised that it was all just a lie."

The burly blonde man grew quiet, considering his voice was full of power.

"Thor, do we really need to have this conversation now?"

Both of them grew silent as Loki followed Fury out of the glass enclosure. Everyone started talking amongst themselves as they walked over to the group of people, slowly becoming introverts as the past-villain walked by. As soon as Loki got close, Tony immediately pulled me away, standing by Bruce. I was shoved between the two of them, my eyes glued to Loki. He paced over with a sincere smile. A beautiful sincere smile. "Oh, come on now, Stark. I mean no harm." Tony scoffed. "Yea, that's what you said before you destroyed half of Manhattan. Just stay away, all right?" Loki scanned me from head to toes, chuckling at Tony's gesture of playing 'father bear'. "Oh, protecting your loved one, I see? No worries, a beautiful gem like that shan't be hurt." I slowly let go of Tony's hand, in which he immediately reacted. "Tony, it's okay," I whispered. Loki smiled, watching the saga amongst us. "I don't trust him, Blair." He grit through his teeth. Loki reached down and took my hand, followed by a shove from Tony.

"Don't touch her!" He yelled, pushing him back against the glass enclosure. His hand was gripped around Loki's neck, constricting his breathing. Loki gasped for air, choking and yacking at Tony's strength as his knuckles turned white. "Tony!" I ran over, attempting to pull him off of Loki, seeing that his face was turning red. Tony wouldn't budge, threatening to kill him if he ever touched me again. "Tony, stop!" Bruce ran over, stepping between the two. "Both of you, quit it!" Tony let go of Loki's throat in which he fell to the floor, heaving for a breath. I knelt down next to him, Tony's red hand mark tattooed across this throat. "Loki, I'm so sorry," I said, resting my hand on his shoulder. He coughed and wheezed, trying to regain his strength. Tony went in for another kill, but was cut short when Steve and Bruce held him back. He fidgeted, attempting to release himself from his grip, but he couldn't His arc reactor was glowing brightly, being lit through his shirt. "Stark, quit it!" Said Bruce, struggling to keep Tony away. I stayed with Loki on the ground, glaring at Tony. My eyes were doing the talking, as he knew I didn't need to speak to understand what I was trying to say. "Thank you, dear," heaved Loki as I slowly pulled down the collar from him leather coat to help him breathe. Tony glared at Loki with eyes of fire, screaming, "I swear to God I'll kill you if ever touch her again!" Bruce and Steve pulled Tony away as he fidgeted to run after Loki. Clint and Natasha went off with Bruce and Steve, and the blonde burly man (Thor, I think was his name?), stayed behind with me, offering out a hand to his brother.

"I'm so sorry about that, my darling," Loki said, taking his brother's hand and being pulled off the ground. I crouched up, running a hand through my hair as I saw the last of Tony being pulled away. "It's fine," I said. "I don't know what's gotten into him... He's very...?" Loki smiled. "Overprotective?" I nodded. "Yea, that." Thor chuckled, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Nothing wrong with that. At least he cares." I stepped down and followed the hallway Bruce and Steve dragged Tony away to, but had my hand caught from behind. "My dearest, may I catch your name again?" Loki's beautiful smile flashed as his eyes glossed with innocence. "Blair," I blushed. "Blair," he repeated, saving the name. "Beautiful Blair..." My cheeked blossomed pink as Loki pulled me close to him. "Stark seems to be worried that _I'll _be the one to hurt you, but I seem to think that the only one who could hurt you is _him... _My Skinny Love..." Loki's green eyes captivated me, filling my every being with warmth and thrill. I glanced back at the hallway, Loki's finger slowly turning my head back into his gaze. "Don't go," he whispered. "With Stark as heated as he is, who knows what could do? Almost like the big green one..." My eyebrows knitted together. "What's his name...?" Thor piped from behind. "The Hulk." Loki smirked. "Yes, The _Hulk_." I looked at Loki with confusion. "The scientist... You don't know? He's the one with the angry alter ego... Quite amusing as it is terrifying I must say." Was he talking about Bruce? "You mean Dr. Banner?" He chukled, his hand stroking up and down my arm. His skin was cold to the touch, sparking goosebumps with every grace of his hand. "That's exactly the one." I peeked over at Thor, who seemed to notice my gesture. "Brother, I believe Blair should really go check on the Man of Iron. I'm sure he's worried about her." Loki turned around, slowly cupping my hand in his.

"Tell him that she'll be there in a moment; she's quite busy."


	11. Chapter 11

My eyes beamed at Thor, who proceeded to follow his brother's orders. In my mind I was screaming at him to tell Tony that I would be right there as soon as Loki let me go. If only Thor had the ability to read minds himself. Loki's eyes followed his brother until he was no longer visible. "My darling," he started. "If only I could express my deepest sorrows for Mr. Stark's actions. I meant to provoke no harm." My lips parted and I could feel my toes curling. There was something oddly mysterious about Loki; the glaze in his eyes, the flush of his skin. He had an element inside him that could not be re-kindled. It was mystifying. It was enticing. It was beautiful.

The screech of shattering glass engulfed around us, making me cringe. I could hear Dr. Banner yelling something to someone, and a scuffling of people. I darted towards the hall, Loki pulling me back. "Skinny Love, you wouldn't want to go over there now. We wouldn't want you getting hurt." His voice was smooth and serene. "Loki, let me go." I jerked my arm away, heading to the hallway when he quickly re-appeared in front of me. I didn't even see him walk, he just appeared out of nowhere. "You should always take advice that's given to you, dear. It's for your well-being." Another shatter. Loki smiled, chuckling softly to himself. "This isn't funny any more!" Shatter number three. Loki looked back towards the source of chaos, laughing. "It seems like Mr. Stark's developing Dr. Banner's ways. Come on, Skinny Love," He smiled, putting his arm around my shoulder, leading me away. "A beautiful girl like you has no business in a place like this."

* * *

It was nothing but a black room. Loki had left a while back, and I hadn't heard from Tony since the commotion from before. I had no idea if I was still even in S.H.I.E.L.D. I woke up on the floor of a vacant room with a thrashing pain over my mouth. I felt my circulation slowing down, as the pinching around my jaw grew worse and worse. I reached my hand over and felt something cold. A cold, metal something. It covered my chin all the way over my jaw to the back of my neck. It was locked securely, and the more I attempted to take it off, the tighter it felt. I couldn't scream, I couldn't make a sound. Not even a hum. My mouth had been shut with a muzzle of some sort.

_A muzzle._

__The room was pitch dark; not a peep of light from even the smallest of crevices. It felt like a small confinement; arms width, and too small to fit even the tiniest of people. I was crammed against a corner, curling myself up to make room. When I tried to stand I would lose balance, falling back down. My hands were tied against my back with a rope, tightly against their will. My fingers were throbbing and I couldn't move them. Loki had something planned. But why with me?

"I haven't seen her for hours," the voice of a familiar stranger echoed from the outside.

"Loki was with her last. I'm undoubtedly sure he knows all to much about this."

Natasha. They were talking about me.

"We need to find her."

Tony? Tony. Tony please.

I attempted to scream, the muzzle holding me back. Screaming turned into tears, which turned into vivid crying. They continued talking about a plan of some sort, and I was right behind them. I kicked and squirmed around, hitting nothing but what felt like wall. The more I kicked the more I cried and the more I cried the more tired I became. My throat burned with each desperate cry, the sound choked inside me. It was a feeling of panic. My heart knew the fate ahead, as it trembled faster and faster with fear. It was a sense of a adrenaline. My mind attempted to overcome the thought, racing to find an answer.

"We've had security running all over the place, and no one's found her. It's been two hours, Tony. She's not here."

I'm right here, Natasha! Please, just turn around! I'm right here!

"She has to be. I know she wouldn't leave..."

Tony, please! Just listen to me, I'm right here behind you!

My thoughts were screaming out loud and the sound of shuffling footsteps faded out the comforting voices on the other side. Tony! Please! Don't leave me here!

Please Tony... don't leave me here...

* * *

"My darling," whispered the cynical man. "Skinny Love, you need not to worry. Nobody knows our little secret..." He immediately disappeared, showing up outside. I could hear him laugh as he walked away, clashing his spear on the floor with every step.

Forty eight hours.

That's what someone from security said. I'd been gone for forty eight hours already. If only they knew where I was. Locked up, here. Out of sight, out of reach. Hidden by a man's cynical ways. I had no scream left in me. Not a kick more. Not a tear left. By the point the muzzle clenching my face had left its mark; a tattoo of captivity. My hands lost feeling, the rope digging into my skin. I had been cramped for so long already my knees and hips were used to the thrashing pain. I lost every ounce of hope I had inside me. By this point, I knew I was going to die.

Loki appeared again in the calm of the storm. His spear illuminated the confinement, forcing my eyes to hide away from the drastic light. He laughed at way I attempted to protect my already weak self. "Only a few more hours until this whole place _caves _under the pressure! But don't worry; I won't let you get caught amongst it all." He disappeared, the light source immediately fading away. My eyes burned at the blinding transition. At least Loki had the audacity to check up on me. But it wasn't Loki who needed to know I was doing fine.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Man of Iron," a voice boomed outside. The only recognisable person was Thor. Man of Iron, though... That was Tony!

"I'm not giving up... I'm not. Giving. UP." His voice was cracking, and I could feel his anger from where I was crumpled. My mind was begging me to punch through this wall, but my body barely had the energy to keep my head up.

"Mr. Stark, your perseverance is exceptional... But unfortunately, we've exhausted all our options."

"Then tell your bastard of a brother that when I get my hands on him I will rip him _apart_!" I had never heard Tony that angry before. A fist smashed against the wall, jolting me awake as I drifted in and out of conciousness. If only he knew what lay behind that wall.

If only he knew...

* * *

One hundred and twenty hours.

That was the last recorded number, and the last thing I heard.

Loki never showed up again. Our secret still managed to be kept, though. No one ever walked by any more. I couldn't hear anyone taking. I couldn't hear anyone walking by. I couldn't even hear myself think. I couldn't feel my legs any more, just like my hands. I couldn't feel the lower half of my face, either. I felt weak, lifeless and emaciated. The blood I had left in me sank down, leaving my head as just another attachment of my body. I knew I wasn't going to make it another twenty four hours. As much as I wanted to fight, I didn't have the fight left in me.

Loki won this battle.

And Tony? Well... I don't want to live to see the aftermath. Not that I think I will.

* * *

I never knew what happened the day I lay my head down. Just like the darkness around me, I was engulfed in silence. No more thoughts, no more people, no more Loki. Although I preferred the latter, it was a terrible feeling. The numbness in my hands faded away. The stabbing in the back of knees subsided. The pinching on my jaw trickled away. I felt nothing any more. What I thought was just a deep state of sleep swallowed me into so much more.

The rest was just history.

History of how Loki kidnapped me, and left me to die.

The history of how Loki won the battle.

* * *

"_Oh, Skinny Love,_" he whispered. I could hear his voice echo in the back of my head.

"_Come on, Skinny Love, what happened here?_" It was a different voice this time. I recognised them both like the back of my hand. Their words grew louder and louder.

"_Who will love you?_" Tony...

"_Who will fight?_"_ Loki..._

"_Who will fall far behind...?_" Tony, I'm not falling behind... I promise...

His voice lured me in, leading to an endless nothing. Please, Tony, don't go... _Please. _My heart pulled towards him in ache of desire, but my body knew otherwise. It knew more. _So much more. _I couldn't allow myself to collapse like this. I couldn't cut the ropes just yet.

I couldn't fall. Not _now._

* * *

"Tony," I thought I called. I _thought. _I thought I was reaching out for him. I thought he was holding me.

I thought I _had _him.

No more muzzle. No more rope. I was free. I was healthy, I was happy, and I was fine. Everything was fine. But other than the devices of torture, there was something else gone.

No heartbeat. No breath.

I no longer felt the steady beating in my chest; the pulse point that reminded me that I was alive. My lungs no longer felt like they existed; the vital key to that kept my body living.

I wasn't alive.

The beautiful, heavenly façade of perfection I just witnessed faded to black. Tony? Tony, where did you go? My subconscious was slipping away. The reality of my being pulled me down. No, no, I can't let go.

_I can't let go. _

With a gasping choke of air, the flip was switched.

Did I let go?

_Or was I barely holding on?_


End file.
